Pramila Jayapal

India on Friday rejected US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal's criticism of the Election Commission's revision of electoral rolls, calling her remarks "unwarranted and uninformed" and an interference in the electoral practices of a fellow democracy.

Responding to a question at his bi-weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such remarks amounted to interference in India's electoral processes and undermined democracy itself.

#WATCH | Delhi: On United States Representative Pramila Jayapal's remark on SIR, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "We find the remarks of the congresswoman unwarranted and uninformed, and tantamount to interfering in the electoral practices of a democracy. This is an approach that undermines democracy itself." On the mass shooting attempt in Aurora, Illinois, he says, "... This is obviously a matter of deep concern for us, and at the same time, it is something that shows or highlights the increasing cases of hate crimes and racial discrimination against the Indian community in the United States. We have taken note of the action that U.S. law enforcement authorities have undertaken after this incident happened. We call on the United States side to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of internationals in the United States in the country."

Jayapal had expressed concern on Wednesday over reports of 13 crore voter names being removed from India's draft electoral rolls. In a post on X, she alleged that the exercise resembled the Trump administration's attempts to undermine voting rights in the US.

She said protecting democracies worldwide was essential and that people in India, like those in the US, deserved free and fair elections.

India's response followed a statement by its ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who on Thursday termed Jayapal's remarks on India's electoral and political processes "unacceptable interference in India's internal affairs".

Her comments came amid protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged poll irregularities.

According to Election Commission data, around 7.2 crore names were deleted from draft electoral rolls during the first two phases of the SIR, conducted across 13 states and Union Territories. In the ongoing third phase, draft rolls published in 18 states and Union Territories recorded 6.16 crore deletions.

The Commission has said voters whose names were inadvertently omitted could seek inclusion through the claims and objections process and subsequently by submitting Form 6.

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